Hold My Hand
by Diru x Girls
Summary: After a broken heart, suicide attempt, and running away, Axel finds himself far away from his pains of yesterday. Now living with Roxas, life seems to be better... that is until drama rises and a broken heart is the new trend. AXELxROXAS RIKUxSORA &MORE!
1. Chapter 1

Hello! We are Jessy (caughtxinxthexrain) and Allie (AllieFace).

This is our first joint fanfic that we made.

We hope that you enjoy it!

If you read, PLEASE review!

And just so you know:

THINGS WRITTEN IN

' '

ARE THOUGHT

THINGS WRITTEN IN

" "

ARE SPOKEN.

DISCLAIMER: We do not own Kingdom Hearts, Final Fantasy, or any other relating characters. We only own this idea, and nothing else. (This disclaimer will represent the entire fanfic.)

X X X X X

**Hold My Hand**

Chapter One

A tall, slender red-head stumbled along a sidewalk, carrying another boy over his shoulders as carefully as he could. The boy on his shoulders had passed out while at the party they had been attending. It was a large party where nearly the entire school gathered to get drunk, just another stupid high school party.

But to the stumbling boy, it was the best night of his life.

( FLASHBACK )

"Axel, you're seriously going to have a fifth beer?"

"Of course I am!" the taller male responded while he opened his fifth bottle of beer. "Where's your spirit, Sora? You haven't even had _one_ yet." Axel reached over for another beer. He opened it and handed it to Sora, who attempted to reject it. "Aw, come on, don't be a wuss!"

"But…._Axellll_," Sora whined.

"Just drink the beer."

Hastily, Sora took the bottle from his friend's hand and took a sip of it. As he did so, he scrunched up his face that turned bright red right away from the alcohol.

'Damnit, why does he have to be so cute?' Axel groaned inwardly.

No less than fifteen minutes later, Sora was leaning on Axel, completely drunk off of the one beer he had, while his friend was finishing his sixth beer that night.

Axel's face tinted a soft red from Sora who was moaning as he leaned in closer on him. Sora moaned deeply one more time and looked up at Axel. There was a look in his eyes that Axel had never seen before.

Was that look…_lust_?

Just as Axel was processing the possibility of it to be true, the most unpredicted, and amazing, thing happened.

Soft, tender lips latched onto Axel's, hungrily pushing harder. Eyes wide, Axel sat frozen in shock.

Two years of being in love with Sora, and now Sora was _kissing _him.

A lustful moan escaped deep from the brunette's throat as he nipped at Axel's lips. "Axel," he purred out his name.

'Oh, god,' Axel throbbed through out his body. 'I hope this is Sora talking and not the beer.'

Sora purred the red-head's name again before licking his tongue across the part on Axel's lips.

He was just _begging_ for an entrance. And there was no way Axel was going to push him away

( END OF FLASHBACK)

As gently as he could, Axel laid the brunette he held in his arms onto his bed. They had made it home safely, drunk, but safely.

The red-head laid down next to the boy on the bed and gently stroked his fingers through his soft locks of hair.

"I love you, Sora," he whispered. "I love you so much."

Before falling asleep, Axel put his arm around Sora's small waist and pulled him towards him. He embraced the warmth of the smaller male's body and fell into a deep, deep sleep.

His last thought before drifting off was that he could lay here forever with the boy he held tightly in his armss.

X X X X X

Sora sat alone in homeroom with a pounding headache. Even though he had only one beer he managed to get drunk off of it, and now paid the price with a hangover.

A pretty damn head-throbbing hangover.

The door slammed open to reveal Axel, who held a brown-lunch bag in one hand and his books in the other. "You forgot to eat breakfast, Sora," he said as he walked over to his friend.

"Thanks," he put the food on the desk. "Did you bring any Advil by any chance?"

"No," Axel snaked his arms around his friend and pulled him very close to him. "Only my love for you."

"What are you talking about? And why—GET YOUR HANDS OFF MY ASS!" Sora jumped back, accidentally kicking Axel down to the floor as well.

"But, I…I thought you loved me," Axel looked up into blue eyes.

"Not like that! Where did you get that from?"

"Don't you remember?"

"Remember what?" Sora was practically shouting.

"Last night," Axel's voice cracked. "You had a lustful look on your face, and you purred out my name, and you ki—"

Suddenly, the door to the classroom slammed open for the second time that morning. Now, it was Riku who stood at the door. "Good morning, Axel," he said as he looked at the red-head who was still sitting on the floor. "Sora," he smiled warmly at the boy. "Good morning."

Sora smiled back, a smile that Axel had not recognized.

"Good morning, Riku," Sora's smile widened.

"So that's who you love," Axel mumbled.

"What'd you say?" Sora titled his head and looked down at Axel.

"Forget it. It's as horrible as your memory."

Axel stood up and walked to the door, pushing his way past Riku and ran down the hall.

"What was that about?" Riku took a step in.

"I don't know. He's been acting weird all morning."

X X X X X

Axel was sitting under a tree in the schoolyard, impatiently waiting for the dismissal bell. He had sat there all-day, cold and heartbroken.

Even though it was March, it was still a bit chilly out, and he had no jacket. He would probably pay for it with a cold or the flu, but he did not really care at this particular moment.

Finally, the last bell rang, and students began to pour of the building. He had not seen Sora come out, but kept waiting and waiting.

After waiting almost twenty minutes, all the other students had left the building, ands the brunette made his way out of the school.

But he was not alone.

With him was Riku, who was carrying Sora's books for him. Not knowing what to do, Axel just sat there, watching them intently.

"Sora," Riku stopped walking and took Sora's hands in his. "I…I need to talk to you."

"What is it, Riku?" the younger male blushed slightly.

"I think…no, I _know_…that…well…" he stuttered.

"You-you know what?" Sora stuttered as well. They really knew how to work together.

"I…I love you…Sora," Riku bent his head and blushed.

"OH! MY! GOD!" Sora's jaw must have dropped three feet.

"Sorry if that scared you!" Riku let go of Sora's hands.

"No!" Sora grabbed Riku's hands and squeezed them tightly. "I love you too!" Sora smiled at him.

"Then would it be okay if I kiss you?" Riku asked, his cheeks covered in a blush.

"I would love it," Sora smiled.

Axel sat there in shock, as Sora and Riku shared a passionate kiss. A tear fell as Sora's arms wrapped around Riku's neck.

And his heart broke when Riku's hands found their way to Sora's bottom and got a moan from Sora in return.

X X X X X

Axel slammed his door open to his bedroom, and slammed it closed behind him. He looked around the room at all the pictures he had of him and his 'best friend'.

The red-head opened the drawer in his desk and took out scissors. He walked over to his bed and stabbed the scissors into the wall, dragging them over the pictures he had taped to the wall of him and Sora. The pictures were now all torn, along with huge gashes in his wall.

He then stabbed his scissors into his mattress and cut up the sheets, cover, pillows, _everything_ on it, including the stuffed animal that Sora gave to Axel as a good luck charm last spring.

Tossing the scissors aside, Axel walked over to his desk and flipped it over, kicking at it until it broke into several pieces.

The male reached over for his scissors and used them once again to tear up his carpet, leaving holes in it and shredding up random parts of it. He then moved over to his curtains, which were brutally mutilated.

Looking around at his room, Axel came upon his wooden desk chair. He picked it up and threw it against the wall. The chair broke into a few separate pieces and the wall had another hole in it.

He walked to the other side of his room and clawed at the wallpaper until it ripped, pulling it off and throwing it behind him.

Then he moved over to where his television and Playstation 2 lay. Grabbing for the Playstation, he threw it to the other side of the room onto the floor, where it shattered. He punched the television next, cracking it as his fist came in contact. The now cracked screen cut up his knuckles, a trail of blood trickling down his hand.

Axel took a few steps to his dresser, where he shoved all the photo frames onto the floor, watching as they shattered and cracked. Opening his drawers, Axel threw them across the room, clothes flying everywhere.

Now his room was just as much of a wreck as he was.

Satisfied, he walked into his bathroom and opened the cabinet under the sink where he hid his money. Grabbing it and shoving it into his wallet, he made his way down the stairs and to the door, slamming it behind him as he walked in the direction to the store.

X X X X X

At the store, Axel walked up to the counter.

"Hey, Axel," the guy at the counter said.

"Hey, Cid."

"What can I do for you?"

"Cigarettes," Axel leaned onto the counter. "I need cigarettes."

"You're too young. Sorry, kid."

"You don't understand," Axel took his elbows off the counter. "I need them."

"Fight the urge, it's not worth it, kid."

"Fine, then," Axel said. He jumped over the counter and grabbed a carton of cigarettes. "This should cover it," Axel gave Cid a hundred dollar bill. He jumped over the counter again and grabbed a bag for his cigarettes before exiting the store.

"Crazy kid," Cid put the money in the cash register.

X X X X X

The phone rang at Axel's house, but no one was home to answer. After ringing for two minutes, the answering machine picked it up and a message was left.

"Hello, this is the principal from your son Axel's high school," the principal started on the message. "This message is regarding Axel's poor attendance. We have been rather lenient since he is one of our most promising students, academic and sports wise. But today he sat on school property all day and did not check into any of his classes. I am sorry to report that he will have a two-week suspension for his decisions. Please call me back with anything regarding your son."

Nearly two minutes later, Axel returned to his house, a cigarette in his mouth and an empty pack in his hand. Lazily, he tossed it to the floor and slammed the door behind him.

He sat down at the stairs, finishing his cigarette and enjoying the silence inside his empty house.

It was then that the door bell rang several times. Axel stood up, lighting another cigarette and answered the door.

"Axel-kun!" a red-head jumped in and hugged the boy tightly. "It's been way too long!"

"It's only been four days, Rino," Axel said in a half-hearted voice.

"But don't you miss your brother who's away at college?" Rino now blinked cutely at his younger brother.

"You mean the community college you had to pay to accept you?"

"Hey!"

"And then beg and cry and whine?"

"Don't be mean to your big brot—is that a cigarette?"

"Took you long enough, Mr. College Boy."

"Axel!" Rino grabbed the cigarette out of his brother's mouth. "When did you start smoking?"

"Just now." Axel grabbed another cigarette from his pack and lit it. "It's not like it's going to kill me."

"It will in twenty years!" Rino took the new cigarette out of Axel's mouth.

"That's in twenty years."

"Well, you have to stop, Axel."

"Well, I'm not. So get used to it."

"Axel!"

"I don't care, I don't want to see you, so fuck off and go back to your damn college," Axel started to make his way up the stairs.

"But, Axel!" Rino ran after him, reaching out his hands to him.

"Don't touch me!" Axel shoved his brother away.

"Axel, please—"

"Shut up!" Axel lifted his fist and punched his brother across the face. Rino fell backwards down the stairs and landed on the floor. "I told you to not touch me," Axel glared down at his brother on the floor and walked to his room.

"Axel," Rino whispered, cupping his hand where his brother hit him. "What happened, Axel-kun? What happened to make you hurt this bad?"

X X X X X

Axel stood in his room, leaning back against his closed door. He looked around his trashed room before walking over to his cut up mattress.

He reached over to the nightstand and opened the drawer to get out his sleeping pills he used often in hopes of a decent night of sleep.

Opening the bottle, he pulled the lid up to his lips and swallowed the half-full bottle of sleeping pills in one gulp. He then reached over to the scissors lying on the bed next to him.

Axel took off his shirt and threw it to the side, along with his pants. He sat on his bed in only his boxers. The scissors were cold as he pushed it down on his skin.

Slowly, Axel dragged the scissor down from his elbow to his wrist, pushing it in deeply. Blood poured out of his wrist, and a big gash was now where he cut himself.

The male proceeded to do this several times, up and down as well as from side to side. His arm was covered in blood, as well as his bed sheet under him. After cutting up one arm, he moved on to the next. Barely being able to move, Axel continued to cut himself, now reaching for the inside of his thighs. He cut them up until all you saw were gashes and gashes with blood pouring out.

Before putting his scissor down, he held it up to his left shoulder. He began to carve letters into his arm, all the way down to where he began his cuts on the inside of his elbow.

The carved letters read 'NOBODY' in large, bloody letters.

As he finished, he dropped the scissors, his arm weak from cutting them up. The sleeping pills were really kicking in, and the loss of blood was making him weaker. His eyes rolled backwards and he fell forward onto the floor with a loud THUD.

X X X X X

Rino, who was still sitting on the floor, heard the loud thud from Axel's room. In a panic, he jumped up and rushed up the stairs, throwing open Axel's door.

There he saw something he never wanted to see, his brother laying on the floor, with blood all over his arms, legs, sheets and floor.

"Axel!" Rino cried, collapsing onto the floor as tears drowned in his eyes. "Oh, god, Axel!"

Rino reached for his cell phone and dialed 911. As soon as he was sure that the ambulance was on the way, he hung up and made his way over to his brother.

He noticed the word 'nobody' carved on Axel's arm and placed his hand over it, crying harder.

"Oh God, Axel," he sobbed. "Please hold on, you're a somebody, Axel, you are!" he stroked his brother's hair. "You were never a nobody, Axel."

X X X X X

So that's the end of chapter one!

For further chapters, we will be switching off who is writing what chapter D:

Jessy will be starting, and then Allie.

And uhmm….

PLEASE REVIEW!!!!!!

Reviews are important because they let us know how fast we need to be updating and if we need to make any changes in the story plot for any reason.

If you read!

Inputs, good and bad, are GREATLY appreciated!

Much love!

Jessy & Allie


	2. Chapter 2

UGH! So we wanted this chapter up YESTERDAY but fanfic wasn't letting us upload any documents:\

but it's here!

REJOICE TIME

X X X X X

**HEY!** It's Jessy, I'm writing this chapter, so get ready!  
Chapter two is UP :)

A big THANK YOU to:

**Athiest**

**AngeloftheSoul**

**Riku-Rocks**

**Your Sweet Suicide**

:) Thanks for your input, guys. Heehee

So uhm. This is gonna be a _long_ chapter. Hehehe

X X X X X

**Hold My Hand**

Chapter 2

A weary and bandaged red-head sat gloomily in a hospital bed, staring blankly at his television. He grunted when his favorite show turned into an annoying car commercial, turning his head away. Just then, another red-head walked into the room and sat down next to the hospital bed.

"Axeeellll! Goodmorningggggggggg! Rise and shine!!!!" Reno grinned ecstatically.

His brother merely made a slight grunting noise and turned his head away to look out the window.

"I brought you some food; you want me to feed you some? It's PANCAKES!!!"

Axel didn't respond.

Reno let his smile droop into a concerned frown.

He looked at his brother and sighed. Axel's left arm was completely bandaged, covering the "NOBODY" he had carved into it and his right arm was covered from his wrist to his elbow. Reno couldn't see Axel's thighs, but he knew very well they were bandaged up, too.

Reno hated seeing his brother such a mess. Axel hadn't brushed his hair in weeks, and it stuck out in matted clomps. His face was pale, and dark bags had formed under his eyes.

"Axel… have you been sleeping okay?" Reno carefully sat down on the bed with his brother. "You know, if you want to get better you have to sleep well."

Axel made no response, and just continued to stare impassively out his window.

"Axelllll," Reno pleaded with him. "Please talk to me, Axel."

"Shut… up…"

"TELL ME WHAT'S WRONG!" In a fit of passion, Reno had thrown a pancake across the room, splattering it onto the television. "You've been here for TWO WEEKS, Axel! Two weeks! And you've yet to tell me what's going on!"

A nurse walked into the room, having heard Reno screaming.

"Reno-san, maybe it would be best if you left Axel alone for a bit," the nurse said sweetly, picking the pancake off the television screen.

"Thanks, ma'am, but it's my job to take care of Axel. I can't just leave him here."

"I see. Well, don't get him too riled up. We don't want him tearing off his bandages like he did yesterday." She stopped at the doorway and added, "Oh, by the way boys, the doctor will be in shortly to speak with the both of you."

X X X X X

"So… this means Axel can come home tomorrow!?!?!" Reno jumped up in glee, spinning around the room. "You hear that, Axel?! YOU'RE COMING HOME!!"

Axel sighed and turned to the side, away from his brother and the doctor.

"Yes, but the two of you must understand that Axel needs to be careful. He shouldn't do anything physically demanding for a while. Until his wounds heal up completely, he needs to take it easy."

"Heehee! Axel that's perfect for you, you're lazy anyway."

"Shut up."

"Oh, Reno-san. I need to speak with you alone for a minute." The doctor beckoned Reno out into the hall and then shut the door.

"Reno-san, we're going to have Axel on suicide watch, justuntil he seems to be feeling a little bit better. We don't want this to happen all over again."

Reno nodded. His brother on _suicide watch_? Reno never thought he would hear those words.

X X X X X

"We're almost there, Axel. You feeling okay sitting back there?" Reno turned around to look at his brother in the back seat of his car.

"_Goddamnit Reno… watch the stinkin' road._" Axel hissed.

"Ohhh, SOWWIE" He snapped back around, sneaking a peak at Axel in the rearview mirror. Reno was so excited to bring Axel back home. While he was in the hospital, their mother had redone Axel's room, and it looked good as new.

"Heehee, guess what Axel?!"

"…"

"Mom and I have the BEST surprise for you when you get home!"

"…gr…"

X X X X X

"TADAAAAAA" Reno squealed, leading Axel into his new bedroom.

"…"

Reno pranced to Axel's bed and pounced onto it. He lightly slapped the space next to him, beckoning Axel to sit as well.

"I'm gonna… sleep." Axel slowly climbed onto the bed and curled up against the wall.

"I love you, Axel."

"…yah…"

Reno pulled the blankets over his brother and lay back next to him. "You're the best ever, you know that?" Axel had already fallen asleep. "And you sure do go to sleep really fast…"

He ruffled his brother's hair and relaxed. Reno fell asleep, his hand lightly resting on his brother's head.

X X X X X

"WAKKKKKKEEEE UPPPPPPPPPPPP!" Reno threw the covers off of the sleeping red-head next to him. "IT'S TIME FOR SCHOOOOOL."

"No."

"YUP! And that means I get to go back to my classes now that you're out of the hospital!" Reno squealed. Axel grunted at his brother.

"Then go." Axel spat. Reno pouted, staring at him. He squished his fist into Axel's hair and ruffled it.

"Come oooon, you have school too!" Axel glared back, and angrily shoved himself to his feet.

He walked over to his new dresser and opened the drawers. 'Pants,' he thought. 'I need pants.'

"Uhh..." He _hated_ sweatpants. Why were there sweatpants in his drawer?

"Oh, those are just some random sweatpants mom found. You can get rid of those."

"Heh." Axel tossed the pants over his shoulder. Ahh. His favorite black pants.

He put them on, but as he let go they fell to his ankles.

"What the…" Axel stared angrily at his naked legs. Reno looked over at his brother, concerned. He walked over to see what was wrong.

"Oh, looks like you lost a bit of weight, Axel. I think I saw a few belts in your closet, use one of them."

"Belts suck."

"Just use a belt, Axel," Reno pleaded, exhausted with his brother's attitude. Axel threw open his closet door, and scanned the shelves. _Where the hell was his studded belt?_

"Where is… studded." Reno sighed.

"You gave that one to Sora, remember?" Axel twitched. He hastily grabbed a plain black belt. He quickly pulled his pants back to his waist and put the belt on. Axel noticed that his mom had put the picture of Sora and him back on the dresser.

Furiously, Axel swept his hand across it and sent it flying into the wall.

He opened the second drawer of his dresser and pulled out the first shirt that he touched. No. He hated this shirt. It was purple.

Reno saw his brother angrily sifting through the drawer looking for a suitable shirt. He sighed and pulled off his own and tossed it to Axel.

"Wear that, Axel." It was a plain black one, and Axel thrust it over his head. "Better?"

"….huhmm." It fit Axel perfectly, hugging his skinny figure. Reno sighed again. His brother was so tiring to be around sometimes.

Axel twitched impatiently. He needed to cover his left arm with something. Reno knew right away what Axel was fussing about, and threw a black arm warmer to him.

Reno was worried about Axel. He used to be a lot bigger and more muscular than himself. Now, Axel fit perfectly into his brother's clothes. Rino sighed yet again.

"Aren't you going to fix your hair?" Rino prodded the tangled red mess flowing out of his brother's head.

"…no…"

"Alright… Well let's get you to school, then..."

X X X X X

It was a beautiful spring morning, and sunlight danced all around the schoolyard. Students had just begun to wearily pile into school, filing through the main entrance. As Axel stepped out of his brother's car, people around him instantly turned away and began whispering to each other.

_Great…_ Axel thought to himself.

"Did you hear about that kid?" One girl whispered to her friend. "I heard he cut himself up and then ended up in the hospital! I think he's even on suicide watch, now."

Axel didn't care. He continued walking down the hallway, heading towards his old locker. The Principal had told him all the things he needed were safely stored there.

Just then, Axel caught a glimpse of brown spiky hair in the corner of his eye. _Sora?_ He turned to see if it was his friend, and he saw that it surely was. Sora had his hand clasped tightly over Riku's. The couple didn't seem to notice him since they were on the other side of the wide hallway.

But how could you miss a tall red-head standing in the middle of the hallway?

Sora cautiously turned his head in Axel's direction, and planted his eyes on his old friend.

"Hey…" Sora squeaked timidly. Unmoved by his friend's gesture, Axel leaned back against the lockers and stared at Sora.

"Why didn't you visit me?" Axel growled quietly. "You had to have known where I was… why didn't you come?" Sora walked closer to Axel, but averted his gaze to the side. "Sora…?"

"I wasn't sure if it would be okay!"

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN!? So visiting your best friend in the hospital is not okay?" Axel glared at Sora.

"NO! But I thought that it would make things worse if I went to see you." Sora backed away a few steps.

"You broke my heart, Sora. And then you just broke it even more when you didn't even visit or send anything to me. Anything to show you care or were concerned."

As the bell rang, Riku quietly slipped off to class, leaving his boyfriend to work things out with Axel.

"What are you talking about, Axel? How did I break your heart?" Sora was concerned now, and reached out for his friend. Axel plastered himself further back into the lockers, evading Sora's grasp. "Axel…?"

"Just forget it. You obviously don't remem- DON'T TOUCH ME" Axel slapped Sora's hand away. Realizing the two of them were beginning to attract a crowd of spectators, Axel stalked off towards the practice fields. He was always able to clear his head when he sat outside.

X X X X X

It was midday, and clouds had begun to threaten the originally sunny forecast. Almost everyone in the classroom stared out the window in discontent as the once beautiful day slowly turned into a dreary gloom right before their eyes.

The students were attending a fashion class, a very rare commodity in most community colleges. Annoyed with the daze her students were in, Rikku slapped down on her desk abruptly. The class snapped back to attention, and she continued talking about their upcoming project.

"So, the goal is to create a very original outfit with only recyclable garbage –CLEAN that is. You will need accessories, footwear, and the actual outfit as well. You can either make an outfit for yourself, or you can choose someone outside of this classroom to be your model. They will have to come into class with you on presentation day so that everyone can see what it looks like when being worn. Now, if there's any-"

"Oh AXEL! You've just come out of the hospital! I hope you're okay in your school right now. Don't do anything too dangerous. Don't get in a fight with your history teacher like last year, either! Ohhhhh, the pain of you being in such a state as this!" Reno continued to rant, throwing wild hand gestures into the air as he spoke. The class all turned to stare at him, and Rikku waited impatiently at the front of the room.

"Dude. Shut the hell up." Cloud glared icily at Reno, flicking his pencil on his desk.

"If only I could have saved you! If only I knew why you're so depressed, Axel. You're the best brother a guy could ask for! The BEST, man! You're so ama-" WHAM! Cloud picked up the English textbook he had just thrown at Reno and turned his attention back to the front of the room.

After Reno quieted, a soft sobbing could be heard within the classroom. The class looked around to find tears streaming down Loz's face.

"Are you crying?" Yazoo cooed, looking at his brother. Loz snapped around to look at Yazoo.

"I'm not…crying!!!" Kadaj, Yazoo and Loz's eldest brother, giggled.

"Oh, Loz. Stop being such a crybaby!" Leon snickered, facing Kadaj. "Maybe he wouldn't be such a crybaby if your mom didn't raise him that way."

"DON'T TALK ABOUT MOTHER!" the three brothers screamed in unison. Tidus and Wakka giggled to each other at the whole episode, watching their teacher's reactions intently. The class settled down, and then Rikku began speaking again, convinced it was safe to do so.

Just then, Reno's cell phone rang. He hastily picked it up and began screaming into it.

"AXEL! Where are you? Are you okay? Do you need anything? What's wrong? Are you not feeling well?" In a burst of passion, Reno jumped up out of his seat and pranced around the room. When he finished ranting into the cell phone, the slight murmur of his brother responding could be heard.

The class continued to stare at Reno as he talked to his brother, watching him circle about the classroom. Vincent stared attentively at Reno's cell phone, and then turned around to raise his hand.

"Yes, what is it, Vincent?" Rikku sighed.

"Where can I buy a cell phone?" Rikku ignored the question, and walked over to Reno.

"Rap it up please…" she scowled, glaring at him. Reno screamed a lengthy goodbye to his brother, and then hung up. Rikku walked back to her desk and resumed talking about the project yet again.

"This will be a three week project. You must write down where you got all of the materials you used, and how you went about using them. The measurements to the garments must also be recorded. Now, I will hand out a sheet, aiding you in your assignment." Suddenly, Rikku stopped talking…

'My class… every single student is a **boy**,' Rikku thought to herself.

The students stared at her, waiting for their teacher to continue.

"Why is this whole class made up of guys!?" Rikku questioned out loud.

"Well, DUH!" Reno exclaimed. "We have to look fashionable!"

"Ja, but I'm only here because it's my mission to make less-slutty clothing for Yuna!" Wakka proclaimed proudly.

What…" Cloud mumbled. Leon laughed quietly next to him.

"It's going to be a long day today," Rikku sighed.

X X X X X

The sweet scent of cinnamon sailed through the cool cafeteria air. Everyone sat at their tables, munching on their lunches and laughing with their friends. The joyful buzz of conversations filled the air.

A young red-head sat alone at his table. The closest people to him sat three seats away, one being a teacher, and another a student in lunch detention. He stared at the table across from him, watching two other boys laugh and eat together. Why did he feel so alone even when surrounded by hundreds of kids?

Axel stared at the empty table top in front of him. In Reno's haste to get ready earlier that morning, there had been no time to pack lunch. He didn't mind though, he wasn't hungry at all.

At the other table, Sora eyed Axel carefully.

"Riku… Axel isn't eating," Sora sighed. Riku shrugged, and bit through his sandwich.

"I'm sure he's fine, Sora." Riku didn't even bother to look up at the red-head. 'He's such a baby, that Axel.' Riku growled to himself. He leaned over to Sora and planted a warm kiss on his forehead. "Don't worry, Axel will be okay."

Sora smiled sweetly and planted a return kiss on Riku's cheek. "I looooove you, Rii-kunnnn," he sang out with a smile.

Axel glared at the couple. No matter how strong his anger was, and no matter how much he channeled into his stares, Sora and Riku still loved each other. Displeased, Axel stood up and left the cafeteria. He took a sharp left and walked right out the main entrance of the school.

It was enough; he couldn't take it anymore. Axel needed to get away, to be separated from all this pain he would have to witness everyday.

He wanted to go home, but his house didn't give him that feeling of actually being "home". Axel wanted to go someplace he felt safe, comfortable, and wanted.

"I'm so sick of all this!" he growled as he walked off the school property.

X X X X X

Axel stormed through the kitchen, opening drawers and cabinets and jars. He took every single cent he could salvage.

Two-hundred bucks. Definitely not enough money.

"G'damnit! Where the hell is all the money around here!?" Axel decided he would have to go to the bank and get more money from there. He snatched the debit card off the counter and flew out the front door.

When he arrived at the bank, he came across a, "Sorry, we're closed" sign.

"JEEZ! Damn bankers and their stinkin' hours." He stormed over to the drive-through ATM, and shoved the card in. He entered his number, and the amount in the bank popped up on the screen.

'What the hell… only six-hundred bucks!?' Axel glared at the ATM. 'Mom must have transferred all the money into her personal savings account.' Axel withdrew all $600, and walked over to the side of the street. Where were taxis when you needed them?

When a taxi turned the corner, Axel stuck his hand aggressively into the air, and it pulled over for him.

Axel slid into the backseat. "Take me to the nearest train station."

"Sure thing."

X X X X X

The late afternoon air was chilly, and an uncomfortable wind blew through the busy station. Sunlight threatened to be lost to the darkness of the night, and clouds began blowing in, blanketing the sky. The station was bustling with life, people running about in their missions to get to where they needed to go.

Axel stood on a particularly populated line. 'Geez. So many people… maybe I won't go to Nagoya…' He walked over to a shorter line. 'I guess Osaka is okay…'

"One ticket to Osaka, please," Axel grumbled as politely as he could. The lady behind the counter smiled sweetly and gave him his ticket. "How much?"

"Two-hundred and fifty, please." Axel inwardly groaned as he handed her the money.

'Geez tickets are expensive.'

"The train will be here shortly, thank you." Axel walked over to the right platform, looking around at all the people. They all seemed to be so at peace and content, going about their lives without a care in the world.

'It's because they all have somebody to love them.' In a few moments, the train pulled into the station, and Axel wearily boarded. The compartment was already nearing full capacity, and Axel hated being crowded. He walked through to the next car, and then the next, searching for an emptier place to sit. He reached the end of the line of cars and there were still no seats he wanted to sit in. Frustrated, he abruptly turned around to search the other side of the train again.

WHAM. He walked straight into a boy. Axel didn't even give the boy an apologetic glance, but continued to walk towards the other car door.

The boy stared in awe at the departing red-head.

'He's so…beautiful.'

X X X X X

YAY! So that's Chapter 2:D

Oh, a few side notes:

#1: The whole thing with Reno and his fashion class. That was a bit of comic relief to off-set some of the angst and anger in this story. It's good to have a little break here and there, no:)

#2: I used American currency instead of Yen, because it just makes more sense. It's easier to understand the value of our own money, rather than Yen. Think about it, saying $600 is more meaningful than saying 69,558 Japanese Yen. Mmmm :D

#3: In case you haven't watched Advent Children, Kadaj, Loz, and Yazoo are characters in that movie. I used some lines from the movie that made me laugh hysterically.

#4: In Japan, when you buy tickets, they really can be that expensive, believe it or not. Also, when boarding the train, it's not like here in America where we sit wherever we feel like. When you get a train ticket you have an assigned seat, and usually can't change it.

#5: Feel free to ask any questions, Allie and Jessy will answer them!

So…**REVIEW!** Input is always good :D

Much love,

Jessy (caughtxinxthexrain)

Allie (Allieface)

Her story Fake a Smile is AMAZING:)

ALLIE STOLE THE DOCUMENT!  
AND WOULD LIKE TO ADD THIS:  
I'm scared to write the next chapter.  
Jessy wrote this so amazingly.  
I hope that I can write chapter three as amazing as Jessy wrote this chapter x3


	3. Chapter 3

Hey this is Allie with chapter three :D

We, meaning Jessy and I, have this story planned out to …. A minimum of thirty chapters. So, there is a lot of thought going into here and thank you to those who reviewed!

TONS OF THANKS TO…! (drum roll!)

**athiest**

**AngeloftheSoul**

**Alystria**

**Dream-Gal101**

**MyFavoriteOutfitIsAStraightJacket**

**Riku-Rocks**

**Court12**

**Sinthetic.**

Okay, HERE WE GO :D

And one more thing, sorry!

But I found out something that really was interesting to me.

The English voice actor for Axel and Reno are the same!

Though you probably knew that haha.

But I thought it was cool :P

X X X X X

HOLD MY HAND

Chapter Three

The door leading to the room was slightly ajar, revealing the emptiness within it. "Axel?" a voice called out, echoing down the hallway and to the semi-closed off room. "You in there?" the male knocked on the door twice before pushing it open. "It's movie night!" the voice sang out happily as he took a step into the room. "And it's…your turn…to choose?"

Reno's eyes widened as they fell upon the sight in front of him. Once again Axel's room had been thrown around, not enough for any average person to tell, but to Reno it was more obvious than anything else.

Fear ran through Reno's veins and his mind raced. He first took a second and then third thorough look around the empty room. Not seeing his brother as a bloody mess on the floor brought him momentary relief, but his worries were not over yet.

An off-white envelope stood out from where it rested on top of a dark-covered textbook on the desk. Reno picked up the letter, which had his name messily written on in, in his hands and stared down at it for a while. He flipped it over and slid his finger through the slip, impatiently ripping it open out of his fear of what was inside.

"Oh thank God," Reno sighed in relief as he pulled out a folded sheet of paper from the envelope. "I thought it was going to be on of his ears he cut off like Van Gough or something creepy like that."

With the ear-cutting fear now over, Reno focused on his new fear of what was written down on the piece of paper. He had unfolded it and held it securely in his hands as he read it.

'_Reno, I need time to think. Trust me. –Axel_

_PS: I'll call.'_

"Time to think," Reno whispered as he re-read the short letter his younger brother had left for him. He folded the letter and gently placed it inside the envelope.

A clicking sound was heard from downstairs, followed by the sound of the front door opening.

"Reno-chan! Axel-chan!" a voice sang out. "I'm home and I have presents!"

The red head turned his head to the door at the sound of his mother's voice.

"Is anybody home?" the woman called out when nobody replied.

"Yeah," Reno finally answered.

"Oh! You're upstairs!"

Footsteps noisily made their way up the stairs. Hurriedly, Reno made his way to the door and quickly shut it behind him.

"Hello, Reno!" a thin, red-haired woman happily greeted her son as she made it to the top step. Her shoulder-length hair was neatly tied into a small ponytail with a few strands of bangs resting on her forehead.

"You're home early today," Reno leaned against the door frame.

"Mommy took the after-noon off to spend it with her darling sons!" she walked over to Reno and squeezed his cheek lovingly with her thumb and index finger. "Because that's how much I love my baby boys!"

Reno forced a smile along with a small chuckle.

"So where is that reckless brother of yours at?"

Not knowing how to respond, Reno averted his eyes to the floor, avoiding his mother's question.

"Is he still at school?"

"No…"

"Is he out with friends?"

Reno shook his head from side to side.

"Then is he taking a nap?" she tilted her head and furrowed her eyebrows.

"No…"

"Then where is he?"

"Don't freak out, okay mom?"

Her eyes widened immensely and grew with concern. "Where is he? What happened?"

"Well," Reno thought of how to tell the news to his mother. "You see," he stumbled again. "He's on a…trip," he managed to finally spit out.

"What do you mean?"

"Just trust him," Reno looked into his mother's eyes before speaking again. "And trust me. Everything will be okay; Axel will be okay and he'll keep in touch."

"Keep in touch…?"

"Axel…ran away…"

"Oh my god…" there was a thud, and Reno's mother fell to the floor, her eyes closed.

"Mom!" Reno bent down, and tried to pick her up. "Mom, wake up!"

There was no response; she just laid there like Play-Dough in his arms.

"Shit, this is a bad time for you to go and faint," Reno picked up his mother and carried her to her bedroom on the other side of the short hall-way.

He laid his mother down on the bed and sat down on the floor next to it.

"God damnit," he slammed his fist on the floor below him. "First it was suicide…now it's running away…what next, Axel?"

Reno leaned his head back against the nightstand and closed his eyes. He remembered what happened when he got home from the hospital the night that Axel attempted suicide. His mother made him go home to get Axel some clothes for the hospital, since he would have to be monitored for two weeks.

Yet he stayed the night at his house, determined to clean up his brother's room. It killed him looking at the room, and the stench of blood brought tears to his eyes.

"Yeah…I can still smell it," he whispered as he remembered what happened.

(flash back)

Reno stood at the doorway, his eyes sadly gazing over the destroyed room. He walked over to the where blood was stained on the floor and torn-up sheets. It seemed as if all the blood was _everywhere_ surrounding the bed, whether it be on the bed, on the floor, or any area surrounding it.

The red-head made his way to the bed and took the sheets off, tossing them into the hallway. Seeing that the mattress was completely stained, he took that off and tossed it into the hall as well.

It was then that Reno came upon one of the only few things Axel did not destroy while tearing his room apart; the pillow and the pillow-case that they had sewed together.

When Axel was only eight years old, him and Reno went to visit their aunt for the summer, and since she was away at work she hired someone to watch them all day. And everyday the lady would teach them things, and one of those days it was how to make a pillow from scratch.

Reno ran his finger over the kanji that he and Axel sewed on the bottom left corner, where they both embroidered their names. It was beautiful work for an eight year old and a twelve year old sewing for the first time.

The only problem was that it was stained with blood, and it tore Reno apart. So Reno did the only thing he could do, scrub the pillow case several times, with every soap, detergent, and stain remover in the house.

He started late in the evening and finally managed to wash it all out a few hours after sunrise, where he dried it and placed it back on the pillowcase.

His work was done, and he cleaned the pillow Axel, up to this day, still used and slept on every night, making Reno feel like he helped his brother in the smallest bit.

But his work was far from done; Reno spent all his free time, about ten hours a day and staying up at night with no sleep just to clean Axel's room, cleaning up the blood stains that were everywhere.

He tried to call a company but every single one turned him down, for they all refused to clean a "crazy suicidal kid's blood".

(end flash back)

"But I know you're not crazy," Reno whispered, opening his eyes. "You're just hurting and need to find something to fix that pain for you."

"Axel," his mother whispered from the bed.

"You're worried too, huh?"

She did not respond, giving Reno the answer that she was still unconscious.

"Well, you're not the only one, mom," blue eyes were surrounded by darkness as he rested his head back to relax for a while. "But he'll be okay; I mean…he's Axel. He's the strongest person in our dysfunctional family."

X X X X X

The hotel lobby had quite a large number of people walking around, mostly business people and workers of the hotel, but also some people who seemed to be vacationers. The high marble ceilings clearly showed that it was an expensive hotel and very royal.

Osaka is well known for the business in the area, so Axel thought he could easily find a cheap hotel here to stay in, but his guess was incredibly wrong.

"Damnit!" he sat down in a chair in the lobby. "This was the last hotel in the area, who knew there would be so many business men here!"

He had run out of money, with barely thirty dollars left in his wallet. All the cheaper hotels were booked for the next two weeks, and Axel had a huge dilemma.

"I should have taken more money," he growled. "And I doubt I can get a job as of now…" he punched the arm rest of the chair. "Shit, I really messed this one up. I don't even have enough to get a train ticket! And a cab would only take me a few miles…"

Out of luck, he looked around at the hotel, gazing high at the top of the ceilings. "Unless I can find a place to sneak into somewhere around here."

He saw it in an American movie he once watched in a club he was forced to join with a friend, where some kids slept in a museum and used the bathroom and all those things.

"Yeah, like that's a possibility."

A loud growl came from his stomach, which Axel responded to by patting his hand on it.

"So maybe I need to get some food first," he looked down at the few bills he had in his hand, sighing as he stood up. "I have no other choice."

Stretching, Axel yawned loudly to have people around him staring at him, but did not care that much at this point. He bent over and grabbed his bag and threw it over his shoulder. He made his way towards the entrance, where a boy in a black sweatshirt and a hood over his head slowly passed by him.

Axel bumped into his shoulder, and kept on walking as if nothing occurred. The boy, on the other hand, turned around to yell at the guy who had bumped into him, to see that it was the same guy he had bumped into earlier.

"Hey!" the black-hooded guy called out, but Axel just ignored him; he was in no mood to deal with anyone today.

"Wait up!" the guy tried again.

Axel stopped momentarily, to glare back at the hooded-mystery-boy. "What if I don't want to?"

With that done and said, Axel continued to walk out of the hotel doorways and onto the main street, his green eyes full of discontent and a seemingly cold-look in them.

"I just wanted to know your name…"

"Sir, is everything alright?" a man in a red kimono with rather obscure decorations and things that seemed to be armor on it.

"Yes, I'm fine."

"Shall we chase after him?"

"No, but I'd like to follow him," the boy took off his hood and turned around to face his bodyguard. "Can you call the driver out for me, Auron?"

"Of course," the man nodded. "Please wait outside young master."

"Please, Auron. My name is Roxas, you don't have to use the whole 'young master' thing when you're with me. It's…almost creepy."

"Alright."

The brunette smiled at his body guard, whom he saw as a friend more than a body guard, and made his way back outside where he waited for the driver to come pick him up.

X X X X X

"That will be eight dollars, please," the woman at the food stand said with a smile.

Axel counted the money left in his hand, which came to be only twelve dollars left. "Here," he handed the lady the money.

"Thank you and enjoy!"

"Yeah," he mumbled, grabbing his bag and walking out the door. He walked up the street until he came to what seemed to be a small park, with a few benches just outside the entrance. Having no idea where-else he could eat, Axel sat down at the bench and placed his bag beside him. He held his other two bags of food in his lap.

He opened the first bag, where a small aluminum box with a plastic cover held his takoyaki (AN: octopus dumplings), with six skews holding three each. He opened it up and began eating them, crossing his legs under his thighs as he did so.

No one seemed to be around, and the area was rather secluded. "Maybe I can spend the night here," Axel mumbled as he finished off the last of his takoyaki, discarding the skews in the box.

"Next time I do something stupid like that I'm bringing food with me," he mumbled. In the same bag, he opened it up to take out a small can of soda that he got from a vending machine. He opened the can and began to drink it slowly.

Now finished with his soda, he put it in the bag with the finished takoyaki box. Reaching for the second bag, a car slowly pulled up on the street in front of him.

"Hmm," Axel's eyes looked up at the car, to realize it was a limo, to his surprise.

The window rolled down, and Axel glared suspiciously at it.

"Oh, it is you!" a voice said in relief. "What are you doing eating outside in the dark?"

"What do you care?" Axel growled at the voice.

"I do, is it wrong to care for others?"

Axel suspiciously looked at the car, unable to see the face behind the voice. "Why don't you come out of your car if you're so eager to talk, mystery man?"

"If that will get you to trust me," the voice opened the door and stood out, stepping closer to Axel until he was a few feet away. "That better?"

Axel got a good luck at the person in front of him, a kid roughly his age with spiky dirty-blonde hair and soft sky-blue eyes.

"I guess," Axel growled out.

"So what are you doing here?" the brunette took a seat next to the red-head.

"As I said, none of your business."

"Well, I think it is, now that I'm sitting next to you."

Sighing, Axel looked over at the persistent boy. "Look, I'm here 'cause I don't want to be at home anymore. Unlike you, rich boy, my life doesn't come with lucky things, and I can't stand to deal with that anymore."

"Oh," the brunette's voice lowered. "I see," he sadly looked at the red-head he sat next to.

"Hey, don't you dare feel pity for me," Axel scowled.

"I don't," Roxas looked up into the glaring green eyes. "But I want to help you."

"And do what? Ask me to sell my body to you?"

The brunette stared wide-eyed at the red-head.

Axel, scared that the brunette might be thinking it over, scooted himself farther away from him, moving to the other side of the bench.

X X X X X

"This one here," the brunette stopped in front of a door in the hotel lobby, carefully punching in the code to open the door to then open it.

Axel stood next to the brunette, a small scowl on his face as he followed the brunette into the room, where he took two steps to open another door with a key.

"Oh!" the brunette stopped as he took a step into the room, turning around to look at the taller male in the eye. "I never told you my name, did I?"

Axel shook his head from side to side, as if saying 'no'.

"My name's Roxas," the brunette smiled widely at the scowling male in front of him. "And you are…?"

"Axel," the red-head spoke.

"Axel."

"…Yes?"

"Huh?"

"You said my name," Axel furrowed his eyebrows. "You have something to ask me?"

"No," Roxas shook his head. "I didn't say anything."

"Uh...huh," Axel furrowed his eyebrows more deeply.

"Well," Roxas turned around to hide his blush. "Here's the room," he flipped the light switch as it lit up the previously dark room.

"Wow," Axel whispered, his eyes slowly gazing over the entire room. "This is huge, I… I can't pay for this."

"I already told you," Roxas walked to the end of the room, opening up another set of doors. "My treat."

"Really, I don't need—"

"Axel, this is my personal room, and this hotel is one of my family's large companies. So, don't worry about it okay?"

"If you say so," Axel stopped at the doors that Roxas had just pushed open. "Is that… another room?"

"It's the main bedroom."

"Shit," Axel stepped into the enormous room, which seemed to be nearly three times larger than the room he had just previously been in. "You have to be kidding me."

"Is something wrong?"

"No it's just…I never knew a room this huge could be in a hotel!"

"There are actually two rooms larger than this," Roxas walked to the window and looked outside at the brightly-lit city.

"No way!" Axel walked around the room at a slow pace, absorbing the brown-colored marble floor that covered through-out the entire room, with a soft, off-white rug that rested under the bed and spreading almost nine yards from each side of the bed. It was not near the wall, either, giving almost the same amount of room between the edges of the rug to the wall on each side.

The room itself seemed fit for a king and most noble of people, and for Axel he felt intimidated by how rich and luxurious the decorations were.

"This is the size of my bedroom _and_ my brother's combined with extra space!"

"Is it really that big?" Roxas looked around.

"Uh…yeah, it is."

The brunette turned around at the red-head who was now examining the perfectly made king-size bed. Big, fluffy white sheets were neatly creased around the edges, and layers of pillows covered it at the head, all filing down to one single pillow in the center of the bed. It was a black pillow, standing out from the rest, in the shape of a heart, lying there ever so carelessly amongst the sea of white sheets, pillows and rug. Even the bed frame was a white-color.

"Sorry about that," Roxas swiped the heart-shaped pillow off the bed.

Axel just peered at the boy through his green eyes.

"Anyway, I have to go home, but feel free to make yourself at home," Roxas smiled warmly at the red-head who only stared at him with questions ready to seep out.

"Look, really, tell me what I owe you—"

"No," Roxas waved his hand in the air, dismissing the argument. "You'll stay as long as you need, and order whatever room service you need. The numbers to the front desk is by the phone, and please ask for whatever it is you need."

"I can't afford this," Axel walked up to the slightly shorter male. "I can't accept this."

"What, you have somewhere else you can stay?"

Stopping in his steps, Axel fought to find something to say, anything to come up for a good reason why the boy should not be doing this.

"That's what I thought."

Admitting defeat, Axel sighed and rubbed under his eyebrows with his thumb and forefinger. "Thanks, I guess."

"So, I'll see you tomorrow," the brunette smiled and waved, walking towards the door.

"Uh, Roxas?"

The called-out male turned his head around. "What is it?"

"Why are you doing this for me? You don't even know me."

"Hmm," the male searched deeply in his mind for a reason as to why he did what he did. "Maybe because I just wanted to."

"Did you do it out of pity?"

"Of course not," blue eyes looked deeply into green. "What type of person do you think I am?"

Axel just sighed in relief, glad that he was not seen as a person to be pitied. "I'll…see you tomorrow?" he hesitantly asked.

"If, that's okay, you know," Roxas stumbled a bit. "If you want," he managed to say.

"Yeah, so…yeah. Thanks, again."

A huge smile grew on Roxas's face. "My pleasure," he waved again and was out the door, leaving Axel alone in the apartment.

The red head stood in the entrance room of the apartment, his eyes still taking in his surroundings. As he looked around, he noticed that there were two doors on the wall to the left, and three on the right.

"I guess I'll do some exploring," the boy turned towards a door and walked to it, opening it to reveal the first of several rooms he would find in the large apartment.

X X X X X

Days later, Axel woke up to have the sun shining brightly in his eyes. He went to go roll over to hide from the sun, but found himself falling onto the floor, instead.

"Shit!" he sat up and held his hands to his face.

Biting his lip, the male rubbed the right side of his face, where he had just fallen on it. He groaned and looked back at the sofa he had slept on, happy that it was very comfortable, but…forgetting he was on a sofa, he stupidly fell over.

And now his head was hurting.

"Damnit," he growled, standing up.

Stretching out his tired limbs, the male walked towards the bedroom door, opening it abruptly, and then going back to stretching his arms. He yawned before stepping into the large entrance-way of the apartment, shivering as his feet fell upon the cold marble, where he had just been stepping on soft carpet.

At that very same moment, the sound of a key sliding through a key-hole came from the door, and it slowly opened up. The red-head glanced up at the door, to be greeted with a warm smile from the brunette who hopped in.

"Did you just wake up?" the brunette eyed the boy who stood at the opposite end of the room in nothing but black-and-red checkered boxers.

Axel nodded at Roxas's question, scratching the side of his stomach.

Frowning a bit, Roxas carefully closed the door behind him and easily slid off his shoes and walked up to Axel, who kept scratching his bare stomach.

The brunette sighed and looked up into the green eyes that looked at him with a careless stare. "You have to find a more normal job if you're going to work, not these odd-jobs that have you working from nine o'clock until God-knows-when in the morning."

"Ehh," Axel shrugged, yawning a bit. "It won't kill me."

"Still," Roxas headed towards the kitchen, Axel following him close behind.

In the kitchen, Roxas made tea for the two of them, where Roxas sat on the counter and Axel on the floor, sipping on their tea and talking about life. It had been nearly a month since Axel starting living Roxas's apartment, and the two of them became very close as friends.

Every night Roxas came to visit Axel after finishing his homework, and would eat dinner with him and hang around until Axel went to work. Determined to pay Roxas back, Axel found some odd-jobs late at night that paid well. But, Roxas being the stubborn person he is would not allow Axel to do so.

So Axel, in the mean time, opened up his own bank account. He had already saved up nearly six-thousand dollars, very happy with the amount. Even though he had this extra money, he took what little he needed from Roxas, making sure to use everything as much as he could and for as long as he could, limiting himself to only things he needed.

"I see you didn't sleep on the bed again," Roxas curled his legs underneath his thighs.

"I like the couch," Axel took a drink from his cup.

"But the bed is so comfortable, why haven't you slept on it at all?"

Green eyes squinted as if in thought before looking into Roxas's crystal-clear blue eyes. "Because I didn't want to stain something so…_pure_ looking."

Roxas just looked back, his now melancholy eyes hiding from Axel's emotionless ones.

"I'm a filthy person," Axel drank the rest of his tea. "A vulgar, crude, disturbed person, who doesn't deserve anything."

Not knowing how to respond, Roxas just politely sipped on his tea, afraid to answer anything to what Axel had just said.

"So," Roxas placed his cup on the empty counter space next to him. "Did you find what you were looking for?"

Axel looked up at the boy sitting on the counter. He sighed before replying. "No," his voice seeming upset.

Roxas nodded politely, licking his lips and his eyes locked onto Axel's. He remembered their conversation they had one night, about a week or two after Axel began to stay at the apartment…

( flashback )

"Hey, Roxas?"

"Hmm?" Roxas looked up from his seat on the floor.

"Why do you think the stars are in the sky?" the red-head had his eyes gazed upon the stars through the large window in the bedroom. He stood against the window that stretched from the floor to the ceiling, his eyes soaking in the city lights and the sparkling stars.

Taking his ice-cream bar out of his mouth, Roxas furrowed his eyebrows, deep in thought. "I…don't know," he replied after taking a long time to reply.

"I want to know," Axel still held his eyes on the view of stars.

"Well, I can tell you the scientific reason."

"Nah," the male shook his head, as if shaking away Roxas's offer. "I feel as if… I have to find something," he turned over to look Roxas in the eyes. "Like, if I find out why the stars are in the sky, and if I realize _why_ they're there…then my life can be complete."

Not knowing what to say, Roxas just looked deeply into the green eyes that have captivated him recently.

With Roxas not replying, Axel felt ashamed that he opened himself up to somebody, and turned his attention back to the view. "Sorry, I shouldn't have said anything."

"It's out there," he managed to finally say.

"What is?" Axel turned his head back to the brunette.

"Your answer. You'll find it, I know it!" he smiled warmly. "Just…don't give up, okay?"

Laughing gently, Axel smiled, a small smile, back. "You know what?"

"What?"

"I don't remember the last time I laughed or smiled."

"R-really?" the brunette blushed slightly.

"Yeah. Thank you…I guess," Axel turned his full attention on the stars, the shimmering lights sparkling in his green eyes.

Roxas just soaked the view in, Roxas's thin body leaning against the window and his eyes lost in a mix of emotions, with a small but beautiful smile resting on his lips.

( end flashback )

Sky-blue eyes slowly faded back into reality, and his hearing seemed to be working now, too.

"Earth to Roxas," green eyes stared deeply into the dazed male's blue ones. "You okay?"

"Huh?"

A soft and very brief chuckle came from Axel. "You spaced out there for a while. Something bothering you?"

Shaking his head, Roxas wore a big smile on his lips. "Nothing at all!"

"That's good," Axel grabbed his empty tea-cup next to the boy and walked to the tea-pot and made them more tea.

"Actually, something is bothering me," Roxas moved his eyes to where Axel was now standing, making tea.

"What is it?"

"Would you like to come live at my house?"

The red-head stopped pouring the hot-water into Roxas's cup and turned around to face him. "What…are you saying?"

"You know, my house," Roxas averted his eyes to the floor.

"With your parents?"

"They're always away, my dad only comes home once a month and my mom's only home for Sunday night dinner," Roxas's voice became sadder with each word.

"So, you're all alone?"

"Not really."

Axel poured the rest of the water and put in a tea bag, carrying it over to Roxas who took it carefully. "What do you mean by not really? Do you have a sister or brother?"

"No, I'm an only child. I have my bodyguard, Auron, and the cook comes in the evening, and we have two maids who live in the west wing—"

"Wing?"

"Yeah, not a bird's wing but—"

"I know that, but …You have _wings_ in your house?"

"Yeah, it's…kind of big," Roxas's voice faded out.

"And it's just you?"

"Kind of," Roxas sipped on his tea.

"You sure you want me in your house?"

"Yeah, if you're okay with it! We can enroll you in my school and you don't have to get a job, my mom already offered to pay for everything—"

"Now your mom's involved?" Axel nearly dropped his tea-cup on the floor.

"I tell her everything, and she wants to meet you, and have you live with us. She's a really open-minded and understanding, so…think it over?"

Sighing, Axel sat back down on the floor, rubbing his fore-head with his thumb and forefinger. "Look, you don't want me in your house …I…have terrible bad habits."

"Such as what?"

Biting his lip, Axel pushed himself off the ground and walked out of the room, disappearing for a few moments before returning with a rather big, cardboard box. He placed it on the ground and unfolded the flaps.

"I smoke," he pulled out a carton of un-opened cigarettes. "I drink," he then pulled out a half-filled Vodka bottle. "A lot," he added.

"Oh," Roxas stared at the Vodka bottle and cigarettes with a gloomy look. "You never told me."

"Because I hate how I am," Axel bluntly replied. "I'm a disaster, I told you already."

"But that doesn't make you a bad person. Yeah, you do some stupid things, but that doesn't define you as a bad person."

"If you can handle with me doing this—"

"I can handle it," Roxas interrupted the red-head. "Just…don't hurt yourself too much, okay?"

"And your mom?"

"I'll talk to her, I know she'll understand."

"You sure?"

"Positive," Roxas smiled.

"Alright, one fucked up teenage wasteland coming right up!"

Laughing a bit, Roxas drank a little bit more of his tea. "So, how about you start packing up, quit all your odd-jobs and move in on Sunday, and meet my mom at dinner?"

"All of that in two days?"

Roxas nodded, looking into Axel's green eyes with high hopes that he would say yes.

"I think I can handle that," Axel smiled ever so slightly, sending butterflies dancing in Roxas's stomach.

'I think I'm falling for you, Axel,' Roxas thought to himself. 'The fact that you've only smiled twice in one month, and laughed for real maybe once, and let me show it…'

Axel ran his fingers through his hair, smoothing it backwards before putting his cigarettes back in the box along with his Vodka.

'…I think I could love you forever.'

Roxas just smiled widely and as he watched Axel carry the box out of the room, excited and curious of what the future might bring.

X X X X X

YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY:D

Chapter three is DONE! XD Sorry it took long, but I hope you liked it :3

So, this is Allie, wishing you all a happy day/evening/weekend/anything and everything else!

LOVES!

(and please review!)

--Jessy and Allie


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